Coast Guard rescues 8 children from sinking raft in Rio Grande near McAllen Children’s ages ranged from 6 to 13
Coast Guard rescues 8 on Rio Grande near McAllen, TXA 29-foot Response Boat–Small crew from Coast Guard Maritime Safety & Security Team Houston patrols the Rio Grande near McAllen, Texas, Feb. 14, 2024. When deployed to the Rio Grande, MSST Houston personnel primarily focus on conducting search and rescue. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Alejandro Rivera)
MCALLEN, Texas – The U.S. Coast Guard said it rescued eight children on the Rio Grande near McAllen on Tuesday.
The Coast Guard Maritime Safety and Security Team Houston patrolled the area around 8:30 p.m. when it encountered the group of people trying to cross the river.
The team found a raft with one adult potential smuggler and eight migrant children with ages ranging from 6 to 13 years old, according to the Coast Guard.
The potential smuggler jumped overboard and deflated the raft before swimming back to Mexico when they saw the Coast Guard.
All eight children were rescued by the crew from the sinking raft, according to the Coast Guard.
The children were taken to U.S. Customs and Border Protection personnel to process them.
No injuries were reported in the incident.
Copyright 2024 by KSAT - All rights reserved.
About the Author Ivan Herrera headshot
Ivan Herrera, MSc Business, has worked as a journalist in San Antonio since 2016. His work for KSAT 12 and KSAT.com includes covering consumer and money content, news of the day and trending stories.
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